"The Serpent"
Mythology: Serpens is the only constellation we find that occupies two distinct, yet separate, areas of the sky. Serpens (a snake) lies below the constellation Ophiuchus and is imagined as being held by him. Ophiuchus honors the healer Asclepius, son of Apollo, who began the art of healing because of snakes. One day, Asclepius accidentally stepped on a snake, and another snake healed it with a herb. Asclepius took some of the herb and thus began his career as a healer. It is not surprising that the ancients would suspect snakes capable of healing powers and even rejuvenation, for they observed that snakes shed their skins. To them, this was symbolic with rebirth. Note that even today snakes are associated with the medical arts: it is two snakes wrapped around the caduceus -- the symbol for physicians.
Other Interesting
Sights: The globular cluster M5 is in this constellation,
and is one of the more stunning globular clusters, second only to M13 in
the constellation Hercules. Serpens also has within it the Eagle
Nebula, M16. This nebula was recently made famous when a spectacular
photograph of it was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Within
this photograph we find areas of starbirth. To this day, the Eagle
Nebula remains one of the best photographed stellar nursery.
Globular Cluster M5.
The Eagle Nebula, M16.
The "Pillars of God" -- a close-up
of the Eagle Nebula taken by the
Hubble Space Telescope.
An extreme close-up of one of the above
gaseous pillars. Each tiny "twister"
coming off the columns will someday
be a star system.